The present invention relates to industrial control systems and more particularly to industrial control systems having rail-mounted controller and input/output modules with improved cooling.
Industrial control systems, such as distributed control systems, often include one or more controllers that utilize input signals from field devices, such as flow meters, to provide control output signals to final control elements, such as valves, in order to control a process or one or more sub-processes. Such control systems are typically module-based and include one or more controller modules and one or more input/output (I/O) modules through which the controller module receives and sends input and output signals from and to the field, respectively. The controller module and I/O modules are often mounted to a rail, such as a DIN rail. Conventionally, the rail is mounted horizontally, with the modules being mounted thereto so as to be arranged in a side-by-side manner. The modules are cooled by providing adequate spacing horizontally between the individual modules and vertically between the different rows of modules. Fans may also be provided to improve air flow. However, adequate spacing is often difficult to obtain and fans are often not desirable.